Toilet enclosure

ABSTRACT

AN ENCLOSURE FOR WATER CLOSETS OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A FLOOR MOUNTED BOWL AND A WATER TANK DISPOSED REARWARDLY OF THE BOWL COMPRISING A FREE-STANDING SEMIELLIPTICAL FRAME ENCLOSING THE BOWL AND A FREE-STANDING GENERALLY RECTANGULAR FRAME ENCLOSING THE TANK, THE FRAMES COMBINING TO PRODUCE A UNITARY APPEARANCE. A DECORATIVE MATERIAL COVERS THE FRAMES.

. M. BASNER TOILET ENCLOSURE March 2, 1971 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 24, 1969 4 A l IURNI Y) March 2, 1971 BASNER TOILET ENCLOSURE I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 24, 1969 United States Patent Oflice 3,566,414- Patented Mar. 2, 1971 3,566,414 TOILET ENCLOSURE Margarete Basner, 18511 Margareta, Detroit, Mich. 48219 Filed Feb. 24, 1969, Ser. No. 801,296 Int. Cl. A41k 1 7/00; 3651) 11 B6511 65/02; B65h 81 /00 US. Cl. 41 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An enclosure for water closets of the type including a floor mounted bowl and a water tank disposed rearwardly of the bowl comprising a free-standing semielliptical frame enclosing the bowl and a free-standing generally rectangular frame enclosing the tank, the frames combining to produce a unitary appearance. A decorative material covers the frames.

This invention relates to toilet enclosures and more particularly to a means for decoratively enclosing both the bowl and tank portions of a toilet or water closet in such a manner as to produce a unitary appearance.

Various schemes have been disclosed in the prior art for enclosing toilet apparatus for both decorative and functional purposes. The most common of the schemes involves a soft, pliable jacket of decorative material having elastic retaining means for securingly stretching the jacket over the geometry of the water tank, for example. Such coverings are generally thought to improve the appearance of the water closet, to mitigate the effects of condensation and to muffle the sound produced by flushing the bowl and filling the water tank. However, the prior art covers in conforming to the geometry of the toilet apparatus or in leaving a substantial portion of the apparatus exposed neither provide an attractive unitary appearance nor do they change the geometrical appearance of the toilet apparatus.

In accordance with the present invention an enclosure is provided for water closets of the type having a floor mounted bowl and a water tank disposed rearwardly of the bowl such that when properly installed the enclosure provides an attractive unitary appearance. In general, this is accomplished by providing a first frame having an upstanding wall for enclosing the bowl and a second freestanding frame for enclosing the tank and combining with the first frame in such a fashion as to produce the unitary appearance.

In accordance with a specific embodiment of the invention the attractive appearance of the water closet enclosure is enhanced by covering the frames with a decorative material in such a fashion as to permit the material to be removed for laundering purposes.

Further features and advantages of the invention will became apparent upon reading the following specification which describes a specific embodiment of the invention. This specification is to be taken with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Water closet which is enclosed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a developed view of a suitable tank frame;

FIG. 3 is a developed view of a suitable bowl frame;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the FIG. 1 enclosure taken along a line 44;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the FIG. 4 drawing;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view'of another portion of the FIG. 4 drawing;

FIG. 7 is a top view partly in section of the FIG. 1 drawing; and,

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the FIG. 7 drawing.

FIG. 1 illustrates the embodiment of the invention as applied to the enclosure of a typical water closet including a fioor mounted bowl 10 having a pedestal base 11, a rearwardly disposed support portion 12, and a combination pivotal seat 13 and lid 14. The Water closet further includes a water tank 16 disposed rearwardly and above the bowl 10 and having a lid 17 and front mounted flushing handle 18. The tank 16 rests upon support portion 12 and is interconnected with the bowl 10 by means of conventional plumbing not shown.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a first free-standing frame 20 for enclosing the bowl 10 and a second free-standing frame 22 for enclosing the water tank 16. Frame 20 fits into frame 22 in a manner described hereinafter to produce a unitary overall appearance.

Referring to FIG. 2 the first frame 20 comprises an upstanding wall surface 24 constructed of a semi-resilient self-supporting material such as corrugated cardboard with an inner coating of a moisture resistant material such as plastic or paraflin. In the developed state the wall 24 is generally rectangular having terminal side edges 25 and 26 and upper nad lower edges 27 and 28, respectively. The upper edge 27 may be tapered slightly toward the side edges 25 and 26 as shown. Wall 24, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7, is formed into a semielliptical shape to conform to the geometry of bowl 10, the terminal side edges 25 and 26 being disposed toward the rear of bowl 10, the bottom edge 28 resting on the fioor F and the upper edge 27 being adjacent the rim portion of bowl 10. As best shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the upper edge 27 extends above the rim of bowl 10 by a distance approximately equal to the vertical height to seat bumper buttons 30. Thus, the frame 20 extends to the lower surface of seat 13 when lowered to enhance the unitary appearance of the completed arrangement. By constructing the wall 24 of the first frame 20 of a light material such as cardboard, the lower edge of the wall 24 may be trimmed easily to adjust the vertical dimension thereof to an individual bowl to produce the dimensional relationship described above.

The outer surface of wall 24 is covered with a decorative material 32 such as a nylon of medium pile depth. In application, material 32 is cut approximately to the form shown in FIG. 2 leaving enough excess material around the borders or edges to be wrapped around the edges as shown. A two-sided tape of a commercially available type may be used to secure the material 32 to the Wall 24 adjacent the edges thereof. The use of such tape permits the material 32 to be removed for laundering. Material of a matching color may also be employed to cover lid 14 as indicated in the drawings to combine with the material 32 covering wall 24 to further promote the unitary appearance of the arrangement.

Referring first to FIG. 3, the second frame 22 may also be formed of a semi-resilient self-supporting material such as moisture-proof cardboard, plastic, or light wood. As shown inthe developed view of FIG. 3, frame 22 includes upstanding side walls 34 and 34 joined to a front surface 36 and a top surface 38. In the installed condition the top surface engagingly overlies the top of tank lid 17 as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The front surface 36 of second frame 22 is provided with a generally rectangular opening 40 which is adapted to straddle the support portion 12 to permit the bottom edge to rest on the floor F and also to receive the terminal side edges 25 and 26 of wall 24.

As shown in the drawings, particularly FIGS. 7 and 8, the frame 22 is also covered with decorative material 32 to enhance the unitary appearance of the assembled frames 20 and 22. The decorative material 32 is preferably wrapped around the lateral edges of side surfaces 34 and 35 which as shown in FIG. 7 are adjacent the wall. To secure material 32 to frame 22 a two-sided tape may also be wrapped around the vertical terminal edges of side surfaces 34 and 35 and optionally along the edge of top surface 38 which abuts wall W to adhesively engage the material 32 around the terminal portions of the surfaces. It may be desirable to sew the edges which meet at the intersections of the side and top surface planes. The frame 22 is dimensioned so as to be outwardly spaced from the exterior surface of tank 16 as best shown in FIGS. 4 and so as to avoid direct contact with the tank thereby to reduce the possibility of moisture damage.

To provide access to the flushing handle 18 mounted on the front surface of tank 16, a rectangular fiap 42 is cut through the front surface 36 of frame 22 as well as the decorative material 32 which covers the surface. The flap is formed by cutting through three sides of the rectangle and leaving the top side of the rectangle intact to serve as a pivotal connection between the flap 42 and the balance of surface 36-. A small knob 44 or the like is fastened to the front of the flap 42 through the material 32 to assist in opening the flap 42 to provide access to the handle 18. The flap 42 is obviously placed in the frame 22 and the decorative material 32 in accordance with the particular location of the handle 18 which may, for example, be on the side of the tank. Alternatively, the frame material may be completely removed to form an opening which is concealed by the flap in the material 32.

For installation, frame 22 is lowered over the tank 17 until the side surfaces 34 and 35 and the front surface 36 rest on the floor F and the vertical terminal edges rest 3 against the wall W. The bowl frame 20 is placed in position such that the tapered top edge portions are received in the rectangular opening 40 of tank frame 22. The decorative material 32 covering both the tank frame 22 and the bowl frame 20 tends to merge and hide the intersection where the bowl frame 20 and the tank frame 22 meet.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative in nature and is not to be construed in a limiting sense.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclu- 1sive property or privilege is claimed are defined as folows:

1. An enclosure for water closets of the type including a floor-mounted bowl having a rim and a water tank disposed rearwardly of the bowl comprising: a first freestanding frame of thin, flexible material for enclosing the bowl, said first frame being of a height substantially equal to that of the rim, said first frame being open at the rearward end to permit placement about the bowl, a second free-standing frame of thin, flexible material for enclosing the tank and being of a height substantially equal to the distance between the floor and the tank, said second frame being generally rectangular in configuration and including a front wall, a rectangular opening in the front wall to permit the second frame to be placed over the tank in said free standing position and to receive the rearward ends of the first frame therein to produce a unitary appearance, the second frame having door means for access to a flushing handle on the tank, and a decorative covering on the first and second frames.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,089,775 8/1937 Wexelberg et al. 4-12 2,658,201 11/1953 Sherwood 41 2,749,968 6/1956 Suser 4-134 2,788,043 4/1957 Dolnick -52 3,085,611 4/1963 Dolnick 150-52 3,087,524 4/1963 Dolnick 15052 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner Us. or. X.R. 1s0 s2 

